Proportional, convection warming and circulating system



May 19, 1953 B. CONES PROPORTIONAL, CONVECTION WARMING AND CIRCULATING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 19, 1953 PROPORTIONAL, CONVECTION WARMING AND CIRCULATING SYSTEM Ben Cones, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application February 8, 1950, Serial No. 143,018

This invention relates to a system for introducing warm air into a room, such as in a class room of a school, and also withdrawing a certain proportion of the air which has been circulated through the room. The invention contemplates pressurizing to a slight extent the room. It has been determined that a desirable relationship between the air introduced, and the air withdrawn from the room, would be on the order of one-third new or fresh warm air coming into the room; one-third of the room air withdrawn under the pressure of that introduced air; and a recirculation of the remaining two-thirds room air with the incoming warm air.

This application is a continuation in part of my application filed in the United States Patent Ofilce June 12, 1948, Serial Number 32,714, now abandoned, entitled Split Heating and Ventilating System.

A primary advantage of the present invention is to secure a better control of the proportioning of the incoming and outgoing air as well as the recirculation of the air within the room, and at the same time permit the use of a less number of air conducting ducts or flues.

In the present invention, a primary factor which makes the saving possible and a better over-all performance lies in the fact that. the air to be recirculated and also the air to be taken out of the room and discharged into the atmosphere is in each instance taken through a common outlet opening. Heretofore it has always been considered necessary to employ two separate openings, one for the recirculating air, and one for the air being discharged from the room.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the following description of the invention as illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a View in elevation of a fragmentary portion of a wall of a room to which the invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section on the line 2--2 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a structure embodying the invention as applied to a two story building.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there are provided two vertically disposed air ducts In and H, preferably adjacent one another. For the sake of identification, the duct or flue will be termed the vent flue and the duct H will be termed the recirculating flue.

The vent flue [I] will vertically traverse the I 2 Claims. (01. 98-33) entire height of the room l2, preferably behind one side wall I3. The vent flue It) would be carried up in the usual manner to discharge preferably into the atmosphere. The recirculating flue H is provided with an entrance opening M at the floor level. An exit opening i5 is provided to have its lower margin at least eight feet above the floor level. stance is designated by the numeral [6.

For an average class room having a space computed on the general average of two hundred and twenty-five cubic feet air space to each pupil, and there being approximately thirty to thirtyfive pupils in the room, the ventflue I0 would be preferably of a cross-sectional size of eight inches by eighteen inches. The eighteen inch dimension would be perpendicular to the wall 13. The recirculating flue l I would have a cross-sectional area of twenty-four inches by twenty-four inches. The lower opening I4 would be twenty-four inches by twenty-four inches. The upper open ing 15 would have the dimensions of twentyfour inches by eighteen inches in height. The recirculating fine I I will be closed off by a barrier ll immediately above the top margin of the opening l5.

It is to be noted that there is no direct opening from the room through the wall l3 into the vent duct l0. To the contrary, the vent ID has an opening 18, herein shown as entirelythereacross from the wall l3 back to the opposite side of the duct ID, adjacent the floor I5, opening therein from the recirculating duct II. In order to vary the effective area of this opening l8, a damper I9 is mounted thereacross and is preferably externally operated by any suitable means such as by damper handle 20. It is intended that once the desired effective area is determined through the opening l8, that the damper is will remain fixed in the position for that effective area. Inother words, there is no need for further adjustment, and there is no automatic opening nor closing of this damper l9. It remains fixed after the initial adjustment.

A warm air duct 2|, herein shown as tubular in nature, is entered into the recirculating duct H by coming substantially centrally thereof up through the floor 16 within the recirculating duct '1 I, and terminating by an end located for example, substantiall thirty inches above the fioor l6, and at least above the upper marginal edge The floor in this in- For a detailed construction of this jet head 53, reference is made to my U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,543,152, granted February 2'7, 1951.

The operation of the structure in reference to the one particular set of conditions above indicated, is to carry air, previously warmed to the temperatures required, through the duct 2| and into the recirculating duct ll. The rate of flow of the air comingfi'om' the warm air'duct 2 lafter it leaves the jet 53-to induce a flow of air from the room into the opening M and into the recirculating duct H is preferably around three-- hundred cubic feet per hour. With-this-rate of flow of air into the recirculating duct H, air willbe discharged from the upper opening I5 at a rate of around four hundred feet per hour. This increase in volume is obtainedby the inflow. of.

air through the warm air duct 2 l This inflow of air from the duct 2H tends t'o.

pressurize the room. There may be set up a slight degree of vacuum at the opening I Bet the lower end of the vent duct It by reasorrof the difference in volume or weight of the air within the. room i2 and the air externally thereof, or perhaps this slight degree of vacuunr may be produced in the usual. way by a revolving head ventilator on the upper end of the vent duct [9 (not shown). Be thatas it may,.the pressure set up in the room; will cause the air to-enter through the opening i i-at a slight pressure, and this pressurized air may in part escape. laterally from the recirculating. duct it through that opening idto escape throughthe vent duct. l

Thussit istobe seen, that a portion of, the. air flowing through the opening I i will be divertedto be removed entirel from reentrance into, the room by escaping throughthe ventduct Ill. The other portion of that: air will. bev pulled on. up through the recirculating flue H tobecome Wa-rmedagain from the warm air. coming from the duct 2i and intermingledv therewithto be returned to the room. again through the; open- As long as there is air pushed-intothe room through the duct 2|, that. system of. partially withdrawing the air and recirculating the balance, at the same-time fresh air is beingv introduced, will prevail.

The foregoing descriptionv has. been made. in referenceto a structure primarily for a one story building. Reference is made to Fig. 3, wherein the structure is modified somewhat to apply to atleast a two-story building. In this form i1- lustrated in. Fig.3, there are two side by. side ducts 23 and 21%- passing vertically upwardly through or: along one; side of. the room- 25 from the floor 26 thereof, through the ceiling Z'Land through the'nextabove room 28. and on up to at least the ceiling 29 of that room-28'.

The duct 23 in its major. portionbetween the floor. 26 and. the ceiling 2'! serves. as the recirculating flue. or duct for the room 25. The warm air. pipe 21 is entered. centrally. of and to extend into the duct 23 to terminateabove thetop edge 3t of the floor opening 31'. Then. spaced upwardly from the floor 26, for some distance such as about eight feet, there is the outlet opening 32 from which the air pulled in through. the opening 3| may escape back into the room under. the influence of the air being introduced through. the warm air duct 2|. The. duct 234s closecl'ofi immediately above the opening 32by the barrier. 33. As isindicated in the. drawing Fig. 3, this barrier 33is spaced'a distancebelow the ceiling 2 l A vent opening 34 is provided inside of the duct 23 adjacent the floor 253 within the zone Where air is coming into the duct 23 from the opening 3|. This opening 34 has its effective area controlled by a damper I9.

The duct 24 between the door 26 and the ceiling 21 serves as a vent flue or duct. This duct 24 is closed b a barrier 35 at the floor level 25, and is. furtherclosed' substantially at the level of the ceilingZ'lby the barrier 38. A vent opening 3! is provided between the duct 2t below the barrier 3E5 into the duct 23 above the barrier 33. Theductttisopen at its upper end to some air receiving; space, preferably the atmosphere.

A warm air duct 38 is carried centrally upwardly through the duct 2A, through the barrier 35,.and the barrier 36, to terminate in an upper portion cf'the duct 2 above the top edge of the: opening 40 from the upper room 28. Spaced upwardly from this opening til, such as eight feet abovethe ceiling 2 l or the consequent floor level of the room 28, is a discharge opening. 6|, whereby air in the duct" E l-may es'cape'through that opening 4! into the room 23. after being heated byair discharging from the warm air duct 38. At' theuppen marginal edge d2 of the opening 41, there is fixed a barrier 5-3 across-the duct 24. A vent opening i l is: provided in the side'of the-duct 23 adjacent the-level of thebarrier 36,- and within the duct 2i to permit air pressurized in the room 28 to escape partially through that opening 34, while the other part of the' air will be carried on up the duct 2d. A damper i9 controls the eifective opening of this vent opening 4 3.

The air. to be taken from the room 25', which is a. portion of the air entering the'duct. 23 through the opening 31,. escapes through the opening 34 into the duct 25, to travel upwardly therein" and; leave that duct 24 through the opening a'l'toenterthe duct' 2'3; and escape from th'eupper'end'thereof. Also the air to be' taken from the room 28'comes through the ductopening do anddeaves that ductthrough the opening M to enter the upper portionof theduct ZBand thus'escape from its=upper end.

As indicated in Fig. 3; where the-duct ztmay be located to'be adjacent a cloakroom" d6, a dischargefro'm that cloakroom may be hadthrough a narrow opening 4''!" from the. room into the upper portion of the duct 23' above the barrier 33; Since theroorn 25 is pressurized, some air will tend to escape around the cracks of the door 5'8" if it be closed,,or through the door opening if it is allowed to remain open, and thus air may be circulated through that room. 46. to escape through the opening 17.

In respect to thebarriers H, 33, and 43, each of 'these barriers is illustrated in the drawings asbeing flat and horizontally disposed members, thatis. from their undersides, to be in a: plane including approximatel the top marginal edge-of the respective openings; 15, 32, and 4-2. This construction provides a plenum'chamber in each instance, with the barrier as the top-chamber wall and with a side openin into the room, the purpose being to transform the kinetic energy of the upwardly flowing. air into pressure energy.

It istherefore to be'seen'that Ihave provided a. very simple. yeta most effective means for accomplishing the above indicated results. It is. obviousthat structural changes maybe employed tov differ. from the constructions specificallyset'fortmand I therefore doenot desire'to be limited to that precise construction beyond the limitations of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a system for introducing fresh air into and proportionally changing the air content of a room, the combination of a recirculating air flue and a vent flue extending side by side vertically of the room; means for inducing an up air flow in said vent duct; said recirculating flue having a fixed sized, intake opening therein from the room at the room floor level and a fixed sized discharge opening therefrom near the ceiling of the room, the recirculating flue being otherwise closed off at said room floor and ceiling; said vent flue having a sole intake opening therein from said recirculating flue at said floor level; a fresh air duct conveying air under pressure and carried upwardly from the floor level to open into said recirculating flue above its said floor level opening and above said vent flue floor level opening.

2. In a system for introducing fresh air into and proportionally changing the air content of a room, the combination of a recirculating air flue and a vent flue extending side by side vertically of the room; means for inducing an up air flow in said vent duct; said recirculating flue having a fixed sized, intake opening therein from the room at the room floor level and a fixed sized discharge opening therefrom near the ceiling of the room, the recirculating flue being otherwise closed 011 at said room floor and ceiling; said vent flue having a sole intake opening therein from said recirculating flue at said floor level; a fresh air duct conveying air under pressure and carried upwardly from the floor level to open into said recirculating flue above its said floor level opening and above said vent flue floor level opening; and damper means in said vent flue opening confining that opening to be at all times less than said recirculating flue floor level opening, whereby the room air induced, to flow from the room by said recirculating flue under ejector action induced by said fresh air duct discharge is divided through a diiferential in pressure as between said two floor level openings to have a proportion of that room air divided and separated for vent flue discharge prior to mixing of the room air in any part thereof with air from said fresh air flue.

BEN CONES.

Kitchen Nov. 17, 1931 Stacey, Jr., et a1. Sept. 20, 1932 Number 

